Broken back, but still standing

Photo of a man sitting in a wheelchair

Gerald Anderson. Photo by Thomas Ratliff

Hello! Want to tell my friends and all my supporters I’m sending this message out to y’all because I know y’all concerned about what’s going on with me. I’m in the hospital right now, fighting for my strength to come back. I’m halfway paralyzed. I broke my neck, my back and my spinal cord. But don’t get worried about it. Just like my book says, I’m gonna stand. I am walking again a little bit. My average walking is about a 7 now.  I’d like to get out the chair and walk, but they don’t let me walk except in rehab 5 days a week.

I can’t really use my hands. Making progress. I’ve gotten to where I can hold my spoon a little bit. I dictated this story over the phone. I know this is gonna make you laugh, but I do get to eat my chicken. I’m still eatin’ a lot of chicken!

To give y’all a little bit about what happened, I went on 7th Street and had a little misunderstanding there. I jumped on my bike and ran into a wall. Hit my face, and I broke my back and I broke my spinal column. I stayed on the ground about an hour in the cold. I survived though. So don’t let it worry you because God got another way for me to come out. I’m going to get that. And I am going to get back. I’m gonna see you all again.

 Me and Thomas been chatting on the phone now about my new book, “Treading the Water,” based on the latest series of mine you’ve been reading in the paper. You know I told you all about the new book. Don’t think nothing stopped about that. Things still moving. We’re trying to put this book out by Sept. 7. That’s my birthday. And I don’t know how y’all’s schedule may look, what your plan is with COVID, but I’m trying to let my book be released that day and to get another author talk at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library. It’s like a new library with all the renovations, so I’d like to go in there when my book first opens. And after that, let me know if you’d like to get with me. I love dealing with the schools to share with the kids about how to keep your life going forward not backward.

Some people might want to get in contact with me, want to call me. I want to let y’all know I got a phone, you can call me at (202) 706-9898. I’ll be glad to hear from you. Reach out, talk to me. I can’t say when I’ll be released from the hospital. Maybe a month or two. Ain’t rushin’ to get out, but I know y’all miss me just as much as I miss y’all. For a while there it was killing me to be in here. It was really rough. But I am breathing, so it can’t be too rough.  And I’m feeling much better. I’m still in a little pain, but not too much pain.

Everything alright. I thank y’all for all y’all support. Especially Thomas, Ms. Melissa, and Mr. Robert. They’ve been coming out to see me. If you wanna come out and see me, just gotta give me a call and I’ll tell ya how to do it. I’ll be glad to see new faces. 

Like I say, I’m going to breathe again. I can’t sit here and cry. Hope to see y’all soon. Everyone take care. God bless, y’all.

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